Why Donaven McCulley switched from quarterback to Michigan football wide receiver
Why Donaven McCulley switched from quarterback to Michigan football wide receiver
Michigan football has a new No. 1 receiver, both literally and figuratively. This offseason, the Wolverines brought in former Indiana quarterback and wideout Donaven McCulley, who made the switch to receiver full time two years ago while still in Bloomington. Now that he's in Ann Arbor, the 6-foot-5 pass catcher isn't just expected to be the top target for the maize and blue offense, but he also switched from wearing No. 13 to No. 1 after the spring game.
But usually, players yearn to be the man under center, with the ball in their hands every play. However, for McCulley, it made sense for him to make that switch to receiver in 2023, and he hasn't looked back.
"I grew up playing quarterback, and that was just how I was raised wanting to be the quarterback," McCulley told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches Podcast. "But as I got older, I started to grow a little more, get taller, and stuff. And I just noticed I had like really good hands and that was just something that I really wanted to do, play receiver."
Though McCulley isn't looking back in terms of wanting to throw darts around The Big House (he already did that as the IU starting QB in 2021), he is grateful that he had the opportunity. Not just because that was part of his childhood dream, but also because it helps him as a receiver.
He explained that knowing what the quarterback wants to do, how he reads the wide receiver routes, ball placement, and more, that it's helped him become better once he made the switch to pass catcher.
"It helped me a lot like with understanding where the quarterback wants me to be," McCulley said. "Coming to college, I feel like I didn't really get to experience that next level of the quarterback position because I switched so early. But just playing it like really my whole life, I just kind of understand like how the quarterback is going to throw this football or where he's going to be looking like when he scrambles out or something like that. And I think that just kind of helps build chemistry."
Fans will get an opportunity to see more of McCulley than they did in the spring game (where he had one catch on one target) come August 30 when the Wolverines host New Mexico for the season opener.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Had No Words After WNBA's Big Announcement
Caitlin Clark Had No Words After WNBA's Big Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is still dealing with the left quadriceps strain she suffered on May 24 against the New York Liberty. Advertisement While she's set to miss her fifth straight game on Tuesday, she reminded everyone why she was among the favorites for WNBA MVP in the four games she did play, averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists. Several hours before Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Dream, the WNBA announced Clark's backcourt partner, Kelsey Mitchell, as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. "For the first time this szn, Kelsey Mitchell is named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week," the league wrote on social media. Mitchell has stepped up, especially over the last two games with Clark out. In the Fever's 85–76 win over the Washington Mystics on June 3, she put up 24 points, two rebounds and three assists. Then, in Saturday's 79–52 win over the Chicago Sky, the former Ohio State Buckeye added 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. Advertisement Following the announcement that Mitchell had won, Clark took to social media, reposting the news with no words. Caitlin Clark's Instagram story.@caitlinclark22/Instagram Mitchell was drafted No. 2 overall by the Fever in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She's spent her entire career in Indiana and re-signed on a one-year, $249,244 contract, making her the highest-paid player in the league this season. The 5-foot-8 guard is a two-time WNBA All-Star and was named to the All-Rookie Team in her first season. Heading into Tuesday's game, she's averaged 17.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Related: Price Tag of Caitlin Clark's Luxury Watch Before Angel Reese Game Revealed Related: Candace Parker Doesn't Entertain Caitlin Clark – Angel Reese Rivalry This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Associated Press
41 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Gray scores 23 points to power Dream over Fever 77-58 as injured Clark misses 5th straight game
ATLANTA (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 23 points, Brionna Jones added a season-high 21 and the Atlanta Dream beat Indiana 77-58 on Tuesday night as the Fever again played without Caitlin Clark. Gray contributed a steal and a blocked shot in an 11-0 run in the third quarter that gave the Dream a 47-37 lead. Gray's 3-pointer stretched the lead to 54-42 late in the quarter. Atlanta outscored Indiana 23-9 in the decisive period. Natasha Howard had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Fever. Indiana coach Stephanie White announced on Monday that Clark would miss her fifth consecutive game with a left quadriceps strain. White said before Tuesday night's game that Clark participated in 'a little practice' on Monday and added it was in a 'controlled environment.' White said Clark, who was with the team and watched from the Indiana bench, would participate in more practice this week. 'The most important thing for us is to not position ourselves to have any setbacks,' White said. Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham, who has been limited to four games by a right ankle injury, also was held out. It was the third meeting between the Eastern Conference teams this season, including two in Atlanta. The Fever took an 81-76 win before a sellout crowd at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, on May 22. Atlanta won 91-90 at Indiana on May 20. The return visit to Atlanta was scheduled for 3,500-seat Gateway Arena, the usual home of the Dream, even before it was known Clark would not play. Up next The Fever will return home to face the New York Liberty on Saturday, and the Dream will host Chicago on Friday night. ___ AP WNBA:
Indianapolis Star
42 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Second-half nightmare costs Indiana Fever in loss to Atlanta Dream
ATLANTA – The Indiana Fever dropped to 2-1 in Commissioner's Cup play with a loss to the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night, 77-58. The two teams were tied going into a halftime, but a strong third quarter from the Dream allowed them to pull away in the second half. Fever forward Natasha Howard led Indiana with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kelsey Mitchell had 11 points. The Fever are now 4-5 and have a few days off before they play the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Here are three observations: The Atlanta Dream play physical, and that's something the Fever — and teams around the league — have come to expect. But Atlanta was still able to impose its will on Indiana, especially when it came down to the third quarter. Indiana went into halftime tied with Atlanta at 33, but came into the third quarter sluggish. The Fever only scored four points through the first seven minutes of the third quarter and made multiple bad-pass turnovers, giving up possessions to the Dream. Atlanta took advantage of their edge in transition, too, turning those turnovers into easy layups. Indiana could never really find a rhythm in the third, returning to that discombobulated offense that plagued them in the first two games that Fever point guard Caitlin Clark was out. They also struggled defensively, allowing Brionna Jones to take control of the paint for eight points for the Dream. Allisha Gray, an early Most Improved Player candidate, also had eight points in the third quarter alone. By the end of the quarter, what was a tied game turned into a 14-point lead for the Dream; Indiana scored nine points in the third, and Atlanta scored 23. And that deficit became insurmountable. Indiana was not happy with the referee's calls (or lack of them) in the second half on Tuesday. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell picked up a technical foul with about 30 seconds left in the third quarter. It came after she was called for a foul, and seemed to say something to the referees or a Dream player that prompted officials to give her the tech. Fever coach Stephanie White got the Fever's second technical of the night with about three minutes left in the game after a 3-point miss from Natasha Howard led to a scrum under the basket for the rebound. Dream forward Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came up with the ball, and White was called for the tech after saying something to officials on the sideline. In the end, those two extra points for Atlanta didn't matter much — they were up by double-digits for most of the second half. Aari McDonald's time with the Fever is becoming more and more limited, but she's impressed in what could be an audition for a permanent roster spot — whether it be on the Fever or another team around the league. McDonald, who signed with the Fever on a hardship contract on June 1, hit the ground running and played 27 minutes for the Fever against the Mystics just two days later. She's been a spark in all three of the games she's played in, scoring at least seven points each time. On Tuesday night against the Dream, she came off the bench to score nine points in eight minutes in the first half, leading the Fever going into halftime. She's a disruptor defensively, even standing at just 5-6, and she has provided a spark off the bench that the Fever needed in this stretch with both Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham out. More: How long can Aari McDonald stay on Indiana Fever? Explaining WNBA hardship contracts McDonald played most of the fourth quarter in place of current starting point guard Sydney Colson, too, as the Fever tried to focus on defense. She finished with 12 points, two assists, and one rebound in about 23 minutes. The Fever coaching staff have consistently referred to McDonald as a "consummate professional," but they know her time in Indiana is coming to an end. Once either Clark or Cunningham return (likely this week) and the Fever get back up to 10 available players, McDonald's contract will automatically be terminated.
